Along with the advancement of telecommunications technologies in recent years, it has become possible to provide the various types of devices, such as measuring devices, with a communication function, and to perform centralized management of data with remote operations and external commuters.
As with ordinary types of devices, devices that have a communication function also require repairs when they break down and replacements for consumables. In order to keep such devices in a stable condition, regular checkups and maintenance also are required. For these reasons, it is common for device makers and users to conclude a maintenance agreement before delivery of the device to the user, and when the device breaks down, or at predetermined times, the maker dispatches maintenance staff to the user, and maintenance is performed on the device within the scope of the agreement. Conventionally, it is common for the maker to bill the user for costs such as the labor and replacement parts required at the time of maintenance each time maintenance is performed.
However, in cases in which the repairs are for large-scale devices, for example, the billed maintenance costs sometimes become expensive beyond the expectations of the user, resulting in the problem that the user feels a sense of burden. Also, during regular maintenance, when it turns out that replacement parts are necessary, the costs of these replacement parts become unforeseen expenditures to the user, thus giving the same sense of burden.